


The Dragon's Wife

by Selah



Series: Matteiru Kara [4]
Category: Heroes of the Storm (Video Game), NCIS, Overwatch (Video Game), World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Gen, not Noodle Dragons compliant, spirit dragons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 23:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17069423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selah/pseuds/Selah
Summary: Allie Shimada knew her husband's family wasn't exactly happy about the two of them being soulmates. She never would have expected them to stoop so low. Or for what would happen next.





	The Dragon's Wife

**Author's Note:**

> I did say I'd be getting to Allie/Hanzo fluff eventually ... just wasn't expecting it to be in this verse first. Though I probably should have known better. 
> 
> Because the storytelling hasn't explained how these two met yet, yes, I'm aware that this says they've been together five years and yet Allie's only been in Tokyo for ~6 months. One day I'll get back to explaining how that works, swear.

The feel of a knife at her throat was enough to freeze Allie Shimada's blood in her veins. Someone growled a command in her ear that might have been an order not to scream, though she wasn't all that inclined to hang her life on her weak Japanese. Still, she didn't move, eyes darting around, but this particular side street wasn't used much at this time of day ... which was probably why the bastard had chosen this moment to act.

Except he didn't know her at all. Or what he was doing with that knife. Smiling to herself, she waited a half beat before using her own training to knock the knife from his hands and flip him onto his back, forcing the air from his lungs. She didn't recognize anything about him, not that she stuck around long. She had enough for a description to the police, that would probably lead nowhere, and she had gotten away unhurt. That was all that really mattered.

Hanzo looked up sharply as soon as she walked back into their apartment, frowning at her empty hands.

“Allie?”

“Hanzo, I love you, so I haven't asked, but just what kind of trouble have you and Genji been getting into?”

“What? What are you talking about?” he asked, still frowning at her.

“I was just attacked not six blocks from here,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “And it wasn't just random, so I'm asking again. What. Is. Going. On.”

For a split second, she thought he might try lying. And then his face fell as he got up from their couch and walked over to one of the bookcases.

“Did he have a tattoo on his hand or wrist?” Hanzo asked, pulling down a book and showing her the emblem on the cover, tapping it with his finger. “Something like this?”

Allie closed her eyes, calling up her mental image of her attacker again.

“Yes,” she said, eyes still closed, “but it was above his wrist, where a watch should have been.”

“Green or black?”

“Black, definitely.”

“Takeda. Dammit, I told Father not to send anyone,” Hanzo grumbled and when she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see him scrubbing his face with one hand, the book back on the shelf. “What did you do?”

“Wait, are you saying that this guy was one of your kin or something? I disarmed him, winded him, and ran like hell. It wasn't hard.”

Hanzo stared at her a moment, then laughed, openly and warmly. The knot of fear in her chest dissolved at that and when he reached for her, she gladly stepped into his arms.

“Six streets from here, you say?” Hanzo asked, still chuckling a little. “Start water for tea, ne? He should be here pretty soon.”

Allie had a million questions, but for the moment they could wait. If they were expecting company, she would have to see what they might have to serve alongside the tea. She would not have her husband lose face with this Takeda person, whoever he was, by being an inadequate hostess.

The sharp rap at their door came just as she was pulling a basket of savory dumplings from the steamer. Smoothing her apron, she went to the door like the good little wife. And struggled not to smirk at the scowl on the man's face when he saw her.

“ _Kisama_...,” the man growled in an almost venomous tone, and even she couldn't miss the rudeness in his choice of words. And then his face froze as she felt Hanzo step up behind her. Her husband's tone was colder than she had ever heard it, yet he was inviting the man in rather than sending him away. As curious as she was, as soon as the tea and dumplings were provided, she withdrew. One way or the other, Hanzo would explain everything to her. But later. For now, she had other things to do.

~*~*~

Hanzo squeezed Allie's hand, then watched her leave the room without taking his eyes off of Takeda.

“Your wife –.”

“Kicked your ass once already, as I hear it, Takeda-san, so I would take care what you say.”

Takeda huffed but nothing he could say to defend himself would come out sounding especially good for him. The Family knew Allie was his soul's true mate, of course dragon's blood ran through her veins as well. He had been a fool to underestimate her and Hanzo's father did not long tolerate fools.

“Why are you here?” Hanzo asked after a moment of uneasy silence.

“Your father was ... concerned.”

Concerned. Right. Hanzo managed to stop the snort, but only just. His father was only concerned when he thought something might reflect badly upon the family, jeopardize their standing among the clans.

“And just what are Father's ... _concerns_?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That the fire wasn't an accident.”

“Do I _look_ stupid enough to burn my own shop?!”

“Of course not,” Takeda said, bowing apologetically, “but your youngest brother....”

“ _Genji_ wouldn't burn the shop either!” Hanzo snapped, irritated with this entire conversation. Takeda's jaw clenched, but Hanzo had known the man too long to think this matter would be ended so easily.

“If you have an accusation to make, Takeda-san, then make it. But you had better be _very_ certain of your facts,” he growled.

“Your brother and your apprentice, Honda-san, have been seen several times with Takaguchi foot soldiers,” his father's man said with stiff formality.

“Well, since Honda-kun is no longer my apprentice, you and Father no longer need worry about such things.”

“That –.”

“Is my final word on the subject. Good evening, Takeda-san,” he said as he got to his feet. The man's scowl was impressive, but even with Takeda's high rank in the family business, Hanzo still technically outranked him. He saw the man out, then rolled and dropped his shoulders, his dragon tattoo itching just enough to be a nuisance.

“Hanzo? What's going on?” Allie asked from the hall. Hanzo sighed and crossed the space to her, enfolding her in his arms.

“Family politics. I never should have hired Honda-kun in the first place, he lied to my face.”

“What does an ex-apprentice have to do with me getting jumped in an alley?”

“You know that the Family has never been particularly ... _happy_ with our union, ne love? I suspect he was trying to scare you off, more the fool he is.”

“Well he did a shit job of it,” she said, rocking up on the balls of her feet to brush a kiss to his lips. “Your family really needs to get over it, I'm not going anywhere.”

“Easier said than done, considering I was supposed to marry someone else,” Hanzo said with a small smile. “It's perhaps a miracle they haven't forced Genji into a political marriage yet.”

“Yes, I remember,” Allie grumbled, as if she didn't like thinking about the woman who was supposed to have been in Hanzo's life instead of her. He didn't blame her.

“Aren't you supposed to be outcast from your family, you and Genji both?” she asked after a moment, frowning up at him.

“We are still Shimada dragons, that is something beyond Father's control. As long as we are still dragons, we can only be cast out so far,” he replied with a small smile. He could feel the energy of his dragons thrumming through him, wanting _out_ , but still he hesitated. Nearly five years since their first meeting and yet his dragons were the one thing he had yet to properly explain to her.

“... you might as well tell me the rest,” she said, stepping in closer to rest her head against his chest. “I know you've been keeping secrets, but ... we're soulmates, yeah? Or is this where you tell me I need to sit down first?”

“Since Takeda interrupted your errands, should we order in for dinner?”

“... this feels like an evasion, but okay.”

“No, an evasion would be more like this,” he said, tilting her chin up with one hand while he slid the other up under the back of her shirt. Allie managed to both laugh and moan at the same time, hands fisting in his shirt. But only for a moment and then she was stepping back.

“Order something for us while I grab a quick shower?” she suggested, lips quirked in a playful smile.

“As you wish,” he said, splaying a hand over his heart as he bowed to her, earning another of her warm laughs. He watched her go for a moment, his heart warmed at seeing and hearing how readily she had shaken off the scare of the attack. And then he turned back to their kitchen to sort through takeout menus, trying to decide what sounded good for dinner.

He still wasn't decided when there was a shriek from the bathroom. Dropping everything, he rushed over to find his wife gaping at her reflection ... or more precisely, at the outline of a dragon tattoo that had appeared on her left shoulder and upper arm. He took a deep breath and nodded.

“It's about time,” he said, walking over to lightly touch her shoulder.

“What?! What are you talking about?! Hanzo!” Allie demanded, aghast.

“Shh, be easy, my queen,” he soothed, pressing a kiss to her bare right shoulder. “My father would shit himself if he knew Takeda had caused this,” he added with a wicked grin.

“Hanzo!”

“Allie-love, breathe,” he soothed, rubbing her right shoulder gently. “I've been waiting five years for this, for the dragons to acknowledge the truth.”

“I don't ... what are you talking about?'

“... this could take some explaining,” he said, brushing a kiss to her cheek. “Get dressed, I'll make us some tea. And order dinner.”

It was almost as if she had forgotten she was naked, a pretty blush staining her cheeks before she darted out of the room. Chuckling, Hanzo returned to the kitchen, starting water for tea and then ordering a meal for them from the local Thai place. While he waited, he closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. He was no doubt going to need to summon his dragons later and that meant being calm. Although, as eager as the two were, it was quite possibly a miracle that they hadn't just summoned themselves.

“... Hanzo?”

Opening his eyes, he couldn't help but smile. Allie was always beautiful in his eyes, but there was something about seeing her in one of his old college sweatshirts that made his heart skip a beat.

“That was fast,” he said, welcoming her into his arms. The easy way she fit against him, tucked up under his chin ... they were obviously made for each other. His family was crazy to think anything they did could ever come between them.

“A tattoo appears from nowhere and you treat it like nothing, damn straight I want answers,” she said with a little huff. “Hanzo, what the hell is going on?”

“In the past, when I've called myself a dragon, you've assumed it was a martial arts reference, yes?”

“Of course,” she said. “What else could it mean?”

Naturally, the kettle chose that moment to whistle, followed by a knock at the door.

“Ah, I suppose you'll have to make the tea after all, my love,” he said, stepping back to kiss her forehead. She huffed at him, but it wasn't a real protest. And for that he was grateful.

Hanzo waited for them to be settled with dinner before picking up the thread of their conversation again.

“Do you remember the story I told you about the dragon brothers?”

“Of course, it was a good story.”

“More than just a story, my love,” he said, smiling again. Another deep breath and he summoned Junichi first, a deep blue shimmer like spun glass come to life. His sister Junko refused to wait her turn, the two crystalline dragons twisting around each other as they flowed down from his shoulder to his lap. Sleek as ferrets and blue as the deep sea, they danced around each other before settling on his lap with curious little chirps.

“Allie, these are my bondmates, Junichi and Junko, my protectors since childhood. JuJu, my soulmate, whose true name you are, I am certain, forbidden to tell me, Allie Shimada, queen of my heart.”

“Hanzo....”

Hanzo smiled, watching his wife's expression shift from shock to disbelief, then on to awe and amazement. Her hand stretched out towards him a moment, hesitating just short of actually touching either dragon before withdrawing again.

“I ... can I?”

The two little dragons shared a look, then chirped and nodded their enthusiastic agreement.

“I would say that is a yes,” Hanzo said, chuckling himself. The childlike delight on Allie's face as she reached out to lightly stroke Junichi's head was a gift all its own.

“They're beautiful,” she said, a little breathless, “but I still don't understand.”

“We are true soulmates, you and I, Allie, my love. I have been waiting for the dragons to acknowledge this truth for years, to acknowledge the dragon blood that runs in your veins as surely as it does my own. I suppose, up to now, they thought you didn't need a dragon of your own, that you would never be in danger without me being right there with you,” he said, reaching out to brush his fingertips over the ink that hid under the borrowed sweatshirt. “It will take time for it to finish, but I think my two can help you summon your dragon now if you want?”

“M- _my_ dragon?” she stammered, almost a squeak. Junko chirped again, glimmering and slithering into Allie's lap, then sitting back on her haunches to rest her forepaws on the tattooed shoulder. Junko closed her eyes, swaying a little, and then red mist started to gather at Allie's shoulder. The little dragon sat back even further as a red glass dragon with a fur ruff like flames materialized on Allie's shoulder. Hanzo watched his wife's face fill with shock and awe once more, a hesitation in her before she ran a finger along the little dragon's flank. And though he couldn't hear it, he could well imagine the words being said to his wife at that moment, the same ones his ancestors had been hearing for generations: _as I am yours, you are mine, our souls bound together until the end of your time._ Little wonder she looked on the verge of tears.

“Hanzo....”

“Eat, love, and we'll do our best to answer your questions.”

“I ... I don't even know where to start,” she confessed.

“Eat, love,” he scolded lightly, smiling. “We'll figure that out, too.”

~*~*~

Allie hadn't intended to still be up, but sleep had been eluding her. Nobu had offered to put her to sleep, but she had thought of a dozen more questions to ask him about the Shimada family and dragons and he had, reluctantly, agreed to answer them as best he could. The weight of him on her lap, not unlike a big cat, had helped her come to terms with the reality of the situation, at least.

And then Genji came home. For one frozen moment, he just stood there, gaping. And then he prostrated himself before her, a green glass dragon flowing up over his back. Genji was mumbling something over and over again, but she couldn't quite catch it.

_:He's apologizing. Are you sure you won't accept a language transfer?:_

“I have to learn the language for myself,” she said with a shake of her head. “If I'm suddenly fluent, Abby will notice and be suspicious. But I don't understand why Genji thinks he needs to apologize?”

_:Because my precious bondmate is still a silly child who doesn't listen as well as he ought,:_ an unfamiliar dragon's voice whispered to her, presumably the little green one propped up against her knee. _:Yes, I am Teshimine, a pleasure, dragon queen.:_

“Oh I don't know about that....”

_:Queen, yes. A dragon-bonded and a queen,:_ Nobu agreed with a little nod. _:And we will protect you as a queen is to be protected. None shall harm you, this we swear.:_

“That you were attacked today was my fault,” Genji said in surprisingly clear English as he sat back on his heels, his head still bowed. “Though I am not sorry to hear you kicked Takeda-san's ass, I _am_ sorry to get you dragged into my stupidity.”

“... since when do you speak English??” she demanded with a light scowl.

“When you refused the imprint, Teshimine gave me American English instead. It's okay, I won't use it with anyone else. I know how to keep secrets,” the younger man said with an impish grin. Allie decided she didn't really want to know what he meant by that.

~*~*~

Of course there was another side to having a tattoo now, one she hadn't even considered until it was too late. Even though her dragon tattoo was unadorned, making it visibly different from traditionally styled half-sleeves, it was quickly apparently that others didn't actually bother to look long enough to notice that. Hanzo had told her before that, for most Japanese, all tattoos were treated as equally suspect of yakuza ties, but it was something else for her to actually experience that bias for herself.

“Summer is going to be miserable,” she huffed as she studied her shoulder in the bathroom mirror.

_:Light, loose layers are better than bare skin,:_ Nobu informed her with such a pragmatic tone, she couldn't help laughing. Then again, he probably had a point – wasn't that how desert people had been dressing for millennia? Still, it irked her that all her cap-sleeve shirts now had to be worn with something to cover his snout and forelimb.

_:Not going to apologize. You need me, my queen.:_

“Okay, but it still scares me a little that you might be right about that,” she said, sighing. “It doesn't look much like Hanzo's.”

_:He and his tattooing master added the decorative elements. He could do the same for you if you wanted.:_

“I'll have to think about it,” she said, pulling on a light cardigan. After all, the daily errands didn't stop just because she had a dragon now. And if she cancelled on Abby two weeks in a row, she was almost positive she would never hear the end of it.

_:Are you –.:_

“Yes, I'm sure,” she interrupted, pulling her hair back into a pony tail. “Abby's a criminology student, the sort that doesn't give up until she has all the answers. So no language implants and no jabbering in my ear while I'm out with her. She's way too smart and I'm _way_ too terrible at lying, trust me.”

Nobu said nothing, but she could tell he wasn't in agreement with her choice. Well, he hadn't actually met Abby yet. Once he did, maybe then he would understand.

~*~*~

“Allie, Allie, Allie!”

“Abby!” she called back, laughing and happily accepting the younger woman's eager hug. Then Abby was stepping back with a shrewd frown, holding her by the shoulders and studying her carefully.

“You don't look like you've been sick,” Abby said warily.

“I told you it was probably just a twenty-four hour bug, _you_ were the one who declined to reschedule.”

“Hmm, well, better safe than sorry you know. Especially with summer coming. Did you keep up with your studies at least?”

“Yes, sensei,” she teased.

“So you're ready to order lunch on your own?”

“Oh probably not,” Allie confessed, “but that's why we're doing this together, yeah? So you can help me if I bungle it, right?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Abby replied, grinning. “Depends on how bad it goes.”

_:I won't let you speak wrongly.:_

Allie forced herself not to frown even while trying to send a negative thought in Nobu's direction. She needed to do this herself, dammit. As much as she appreciated that he was trying to help, she didn't want to become too reliant on him or else she wouldn't ever learn for herself.

_:So stubborn, just like your mate. Fine, I'll only offer you words you already know.:_

It was, she supposed, the best compromise she was going to get. To his credit, Nobu stuck to it, going quiet as she struggled to do her best before giving up and telling the waiter to give her what Abby was having.

“Are we going too fast?” Abby asked when they were alone.

“I got overwhelmed,” she admitted with a grimace. “But I ordered the books you recommended, just waiting for them to get here. At least my brain didn't try to substitute Spanish this time?”

“Does it do that a lot?” Abby asked, as genuinely curious as ever.

“All the time, I swear. It's like it's filed the two language in the exact same space or something!”

“That seems so strange to me and yet ... I mean, they're two completely different languages, but they are still languages, so I guess I can see how they might have been dumped in the same brain box, so to speak, yeah?”

“Ah, finally an explanation that makes sense!” Allie said, laughing. That was the best part of these outings with Abigail – no matter what, the woman was always able to make her feel at ease.

“So I don't know why,” Allie said as they walked back towards campus, lunch complete, “but Genji bought me a pair of tickets for a band called ... Buck-Tick? I feel like I've seen the name around, but I don't really know anything about them. Do you?”

“Oh my god, I know if you aren't interested, I will _happily_ take those tickets!” Abby said, grabbing her arm and practically bouncing with each step. “They are _so_ good, but tickets are so hard to get, they sell out so fast!”

“Really? To be honest, I'm not sure Genji knows anything about them either, but if they're hard to get, could be him trying to apologize to me by getting something difficult just to show how very sorry he is.”

“Must be pretty sorry,” her friend said, shaking her head a little. “Well, the internet is an amazing thing, check out YouTube. Oh! Or I can burn you a copy of their latest release if you want? If you like them, I can go with you! And if you decide you don't, I'm sure I can find someone to take that other ticket.”

“If they've got _your_ enthusiastic seal of approval, they must be good,” Allie said, grinning. “The concert's at the end of August ... but you probably already knew that.”

“I did, yeah,” Abby agreed, nodding. “The real question is, do you have a concert-ready outfit?”

“Why does that sound like you mean something more than jeans and a t-shirt?”

“Oh boy. All right, what are your plans for the afternoon?”

“Nothing that I can't do just as easily tomorrow.”

“Excellent,” her friend said, looping arms with her. “Clearly I have much to teach you about the true goth concert experience.”

Allie could feel Nobu thrumming in intense interest. She just hoped he didn't get _too_ interested or she would never be able to keep him a secret from Abby. Unless that was something he didn't care about anymore? Allie mentally shook herself; that was something she didn't really want to consider, the implications were too much. She and Abby were good friends, yes, but Abigail still couldn't see color – she wasn't a dragon, so unless her soulmate was one of Hanzo's other relatives, something she couldn't picture going well, considering the unspoken suggestion that the Shimada were a high-ranked yakuza clan and Abigail was studying forensics and criminology....

_:Her life lies in a different direction, Nihon will never completely be her home. But she keeps secrets better than most monks. We trust her.:_

Allie sighed in defeat, shaking her head when Abby gave her a questioning look. If the dragons trusted her, well, she certainly wasn't going to argue the point.

~*~*~

Nobu stretched out his spine, clawing at the carpet briefly before hopping up onto the window ledge. A full moon, brushing the entire neighborhood in silver light.

_:What are you doing?:_

_:Watching the night. Why do you care?:_ he asked in retort. Junko bopped him on the nose before curling up against his side with a low sigh. She was happy to see him, she couldn't hide that from him, but he could tell there was more on her mind.

_:The others....:_

_:Don't worry about the others,:_ Nobu soothed, nuzzling her cheek. _:What they think is colored by the sins of their soulbonds. And I will always keep you safe, little one. I will protect all of you.:_

Junko hummed and pressed closer.

_:Sure we can't trade?:_ she asked, lightly teasing.

_:Yours would lose his way without you to whisper in his ear, little one,:_ Nobu countered, nipping at her ear. _:Now sleep. He will need you in the morning.:_

_:You sleep, too, then, love. She will surely need you even more.:_

Nobu hummed, settling them in for a proper sleep. Their queen's path was just getting started, but he would protect her, absolutely. Protecting their bonded was why he had been born. He would not fail.


End file.
